Author Archive

What young 1970’s pup, learning to play a guitar for the first time, didn’t, at one time or another, attempt to imitate Pete Townsend’s windmill power chord strum? I count myself in that group. While I was not a very dedicated Who fan, I had an appreciation for the musicianship. There were still songs like Pinball Wizard and Behind Blue Eyes that I would embrace as if they were my own anthems in those days. It would be hard to deny that The Who is one of the most successful rock bands in history. Part of the original British Invasion of the 1960’s, there are few such acts that are even still around, let alone able to fill the huge stadiums and halls of Rock’s yesteryears. Read the rest of this entry »

Robert Davihas been around for a long time. He was a Bond villain against Timothy Dalton’s Bond in License To Kill. He went toe to toe with Sly Stallone in The Expendables 3. He told off Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Most of you remember him as Agent Malone on The Profiler. So what does he do for an encore? He sings Sinatra songs, what else? I’ll tell you what else. He stars in Awaken the new film out from Arc Entertainment. I had a great time talking to the man recently. We talked about Italy and music. Of course, we talked about Awaken. The man’s a force to be reckoned with. Just ask Sly, Bond or Bruce. It was even his birthday. Bang it here to listen to my conversation with Robert Davi. You should also check out his music site Here.

Maybe that’s why the crew from The Lazarus Effect decided to use all of the rules and conventions in the book without daring to really break any new ground of its own. By the time I was finished with the film, I felt like I had watched several horror movies at the same time. It’s most intentionally Frankenstein meets Flatliners meets insert-your-favorite-ghost/possession-movie meets every-Stephen-King-film-ever-made. With all of that at its fingertips and a pretty bright cast, all The Lazarus Effect could do was raise itself to mediocrity. Read the rest of this entry »

“In these mountains roams one of the rarest species on our planet. A shy, elusive, and gentle creature: the giant panda.”

If you are old enough you will remember President Richard Nixon’s famous trip the China. He was the first President to make the voyage, and it was heralded as a foreign policy breakthrough for the nation. Long after, the hoopla had died down and the only time it seemed Nixon was in the news was for Watergate. But even amid the scandal, one bright legacy of that trip remained for years to come. That was, of course, the Chinese gift to the United States to celebrate the event. We received two pandas named Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing that would capture the hearts of a nation even as Nixon was losing them Read the rest of this entry »

“We’re just a typical American family that just happens to run a multimillion dollar outdoor empire. We create, test and sell the world’s coolest products for the modern outdoorsman, and we find our inspiration on a little slice of Heaven called the Busbice Family Ranch in Louisiana.”

Sounds like an infomercial, doesn’t it? It’s actually the intro to A&E’s latest in their collection of redneck families who happen to be in the dough. If you like Duck Dynasty, this show was made for you. It’s another one of those eccentric families in the outdoors business. With names like Uncle Hard Luck, these guys fit right in with the Robertson family over at Duck Dynasty. Read the rest of this entry »

“My name is – . This is my true story like it’s never been told before.”

You can fill in that blank with any one of six names or groups for the first season of Gunslingers. Each episode picks up the story of a legendary icon of the West. We’re not talking about the fictionalized characters from the long run of television westerns. These are the real infamous gunfighters whose history has become the stuff of mythology over the years. The episodes are told from the point of view of that week’s subject, as played by an actor, of course. Other parts are also played out, but the focus is the point of view of that gunslinger. Read the rest of this entry »

We have some great friends over at Time Life and Star Vista. They’re you’re friends, too. This time it’s season 3 of The Wonder Years. Take a trip back in time to what it was like to be a kid in the 1960?s. Plus there’s Joe Cocker’s version of A Little Help From My Friends. It’s all here for a lucky Upcomingdiscs winner. It’s getting pretty much Summer and most of you are about to create your own wonder months. This might just fit in with those plans.

Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.

Do not post your address as an actual comment! Instead tell us – What will do you look forward to most this Summer?

Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.

Contest is now closed Winner is Anne Derkat

Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season.

“It means what it always means. Nobody tells you anything when you wanna know it. Only when they feel like telling it. And then only enough to make you crazy to know more.”

When it comes to Pretty Little Liars, it seems making the fans crazy is what they do best. The fifth season of the show is out on DVD, and this is no place for beginners. If you don’t know who Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hannah and Alison are, it’s time for you to head back to the beginning and catch up. You can find our reviews from those seasons here. For the rest of you, let’s talk Pretty Little Liars, shall we? Read the rest of this entry »

“I don’t want to sound gloomy, but at some point of your lives, every one of you will notice that you have in your life one person, one friend whom you love and care for very much. That person is so close to you that you are able to share some things only with him. For example, you can call that friend, and from the very first maniacal laugh or some other joke you will know who is at the other end of that line. We used to do that with him so often. And then when that person is gone, there will be nothing like that in your life ever again.”

That was how Christopher Lee described his long-time friend and frequent co-star Peter Cushing when he died in 1994. The two shared the screen dozens of times, most notably in the Hammer Studios cycle of horror films. The words can also describe the man himself. Hammer had picked up on the popular movie monster when the Universal cycle had pretty much run out its string. Following in the footsteps of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney (both Sr. and Jr.), Lee was part of a next generation of horror film icons. Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee would become the horror giants who would pick up where the Universal greats left off. It started with Curse Of Frankenstein, but it was Dracula for whom he will always be remembered. Not surprisingly, Lee never cared for the term “horror film”. He would borrow a French description often used by Boris Karloff and referred to these films as “the theatre of the fantastique” Read the rest of this entry »

That’s the problem with sequels, isn’t it? There’s always the belief that you have to go bigger and stronger than you did before. It’s an ideal that is also reflected quite literally in the story of Jurassic World. You know what kills worse than dinosaurs? Expectations. It is those expectations that will turn what is a pretty solid action movie into a disappointment for so many. No doubt, Jurassic World is a fun and entertaining movie. But it’s not Jurassic Park, and the truth is it never could be. If you go to this movie hoping to recapture what you felt the first time you heard the words “Welcome to Jurassic Park” Read the rest of this entry »

The premise here is dirt simple. They’ve taken the buddy cop idea and found a way to work in the forensics science fad and deliver a procedural with a few twists. Angie Harmon plays Detective Rizzoli. She’s wanted to be a cop all of her life and is living the dream working with a special unit out of Boston PD. Her best friend in life happens to be Dr. Maura Isles, who is the Chief Medical Examiner for the unit and is played by Sasha Alexander. These are the kind of friends who finish each other’s sentences and share a lot of history together. That’s not to say they are at all alike. Read the rest of this entry »

Our buddies over at Arc Entertainment have given us a few treats for our loyal readers. The Squeeze is out now on DVD. A young golf talent gets caught up with a ruthless gambler. All he wants to do is take care of his family and now it might cost him everything. It’s a mix of a con film with the added interest of golf. Arc Entertainment has given us 3 copies to give away. Here’s your chance to see how it ends on us.

To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.

Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.

Do not post your address as an actual comment! Instead tell us – Who is your favorite golf pro of all time?

Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.

Contest is now closed Winners are Carrie, Cherie Varrin & Linda Fast

Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A newspaper reporter and a cop go into a bar… It sounds like a setup for a pretty lame joke. It’s actually the story of how one of the greatest television shows to ever air got started. It was the brainchild of two real-world players who hadn’t yet seen their worlds portrayed accurately in television of film. They set out on a mission to change all of that. And, changing all of that is exactly what they did. Read the rest of this entry »

Every science fiction fan knows who David Hewlett is. I’ve been a fan since his first appearance as Dr. Rodney McKay on the original Stargate SG-1. The character was such a memorable one that he became a regular when Stargate: Atlantis was launched. Hewlett is also responsible for the plague that kills off the humans in the new Planet Of The Apes series of films. Now he’s gone behind the camera for Debug out this week on DVD. He wrote and directed the film which stars his old Atlantis buddy Jason Momoa, the future Aquaman. It was a special treat for me last week when I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes on the phone with him. We talked about McKay and the new film. Now you get to listen in on that conversation. Bang it here to listen to my chat with David Hewlett

Three-time widower Ben Cartwright (Greene) runs his famous Ponderosa Ranch with the aid of his three grown sons from three different mothers. There’s Little Joe (Landon), Adam (Roberts) and Hoss (Blocker). Set some time in the mid 1800’s, this long-running series followed the family’s many exploits. In the late 1950’s, westerns accounted for six of the top ten programs on TV. Only Gunsmoke had a longer run than Bonanza. From 1959 to 1973, Ben Cartwright and his boys rode across the small screen Read the rest of this entry »

Until recently DirecTV’s Audience Network was a home for critically-acclaimed shows that somehow lost their feet on another network. It started with Friday Night Lights and more recently Damages. So DirecTV was no stranger to original series production. Now for the very first time the satellite carrier and network have developed their own television series. Rogue would be the first show on the network not to have played somewhere else first. The effort is a collaboration with eOne and Greenhouse Entertainment. From the first ten episodes of the first season, you can bet it’s a pretty wild ride and a relatively strong start. Read the rest of this entry »

“I have doubts about my sanity, the Kennedy assassination, the moon landing, but this…”

No doubt about it. Major Crimes has managed to do what few shows before it have been able to pull off. Shows have survived the loss of their lead, but the remaining years were usually something lesser than it once was. That’s not the case when The Closer lost its lead actress/character. The title was changed, and with just a few cast tweaks the series returned as Major Crimes, and I dare say it’s a much better show than its predecessor. Read the rest of this entry »

Our friends at ARC Entertainment want you to know about their latest release. It’s called See You In Valhalla. It stars Sarah Hyland from Modern Family. A young girl must face some tough secrets when her brother dies and she returns home. It’s a heart-warming tale that also stars Connor O’Farrell, Emma Bell, Bret Harrison and Steve Howley.

To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.

Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.

Do not post your address as an actual comment! Instead tell us – What did you do for your Mom on Mother’s Day?

Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical that Clint Eastwood followed up his directing stint on Jersey Boys as quickly as he did to shoot American Sniper. The former was far from one of his better efforts, and he looked increasingly out of his element by the time it was said and done. He jumped into his preparation for American Sniper almost immediately, and the results could have been…underwhelming. Instead Eastwood hit his target with the kind of profound impact I don’t think I’ve seen from him since Unforgiven. Unforgiven won a Best Picture award, and deservedly so. American Sniper was nominated, although Eastwood himself was snubbed in the director category. Read the rest of this entry »

The Drownsman is out from Anchor Baythis week. Sofar I’ve had a chance to talk to the writer/director and one of the actresses on the film. This time I got to talk to The Drownsman himself. Ry Barrett plays Sebastian Donner who is, indeed The Drownsman. I had the chance to talk to Ry about the gig and what it was like wearing all of that “stuff”. Want to know what he said? Bang it here to listen in on my conversation with Ry Barrett Read the rest of this entry »

“As you know, in less than two hours liquor will be declared illegal by decree of the distinguished gentlemen of our nation’s Congress. To those beautiful, ignorant bastards. Rest assured that, dry though the country may be, I am in the midst of concluding arrangements that will keep Atlantic City wet…”

HBO has finally released a full series set of Boardwalk Empire on Blu-ray. This is an HBO trend that has gone full tilt in the last year, seeing such hits as The Sopranos, True Blood and soon The Wire all coming in wonderful full-series releases. They look great on your video shelf. Together they create a tremendous number of hours of quality television. I love having it all in one place. If you’re new to the show, what better time to climb on board? Read the rest of this entry »

“A man of your age has no excuse for looking or behaving like a fugitive from a home for alcoholic music hall artistes.”

Sound like anyone you know? Johnny Depp is one hell of a talented actor. There are few in the industry than can so completely inhabit a character. He has an uncanny ability to make you forget Johnny Depp the actor and lose yourself in his performance. He is a chameleon physically and expressively. Unfortunately, Johnny has had trouble finding box office gold lately. You see, he’s having a lot of fun at our expense. But it’s not just we who are footing the bill for his tomfoolery. The studios are handing out hundreds of millions of dollars for box office misses Read the rest of this entry »

The Drownsman is now out from Anchor Bay. This time I talked with Caroline Palmer. Caroline made her feature film debut with The Drownsman. I had a great time talking with her. Now you can find out what we talked about. Bang it here to listen in on my talk with Caroline Palmer. Read the rest of this entry »

If you were around in 1972, television was a very different place. By midnight most stations were shutting down to the tune of the national anthem. After that there was a test pattern and a high-pitched ring that would fill your screen until dawn when programming would resume. Of course, there were also only three networks, and, if you were lucky enough to live in a large market, a handful of local stations. All good people were expected to be safely tucked into their beds long before 1:00 AM. It was a very different world from today when we get 24-hour programming on over 200 stations or more Read the rest of this entry »